


Siblings.

by funkyj4eva



Series: Conversations on the Balcony [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Best Friends, Childhood Friends, F/F, Friendship, Late Night Conversations, Not putting up with this, Slow Burn, Spiraling Thoughts, Sunrises, Take responsibility for your actions, Women Supporting Women, can't sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:55:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkyj4eva/pseuds/funkyj4eva
Summary: After finding herself unable to fall back asleep from a dream at an ungodly hour in the morning, Lin makes her way out to her balcony with a mug of coffee to take in the sunrise, only to find that it is already pre-occupied by her childhood friend.
Relationships: Bumi II & Kya II & Tenzin (Avatar), Bumi II & Kya II (Avatar), Katara & Kya II (Avatar), Lin Beifong & Kya II, Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin
Series: Conversations on the Balcony [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104041
Comments: 8
Kudos: 75





	Siblings.

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place just after harmonic convergence and after Lin goes to Zhaofu and before Kyalin is a thing.
> 
> HC that Kya and Lin are really good friends and Kya is one of the few people that she can be vulnerable and speak freely to.
> 
> Lin being the support that Kya didn’t realise she needed.

_"You are such a bitter loner, no wonder Tenzin left you!"_

She woke with her heart racing and a deep pain and sadness seeping into her being. Her body was covered with a thin sheen of cold sweat, and her blanket was thrown askew. She sat up, hunched over, in her bed and held her head as she willed her breathing and heart rate to slow, to comprehend just what awoke her in the first place. 

_The fuck was that?_

Looking to her left she squinted as she checked the time on the clock, 4:37am.

_Great._

With a sigh she laid back down and closed her eyes again, taking a deep breath to remind herself that it was just a dream. Once she regained composure, she pulled her blanket back over her and rested one arm over her stomach while the other was tucked under her head. She tried to fall back asleep but was too restless to succeed, so after a few more failed attempts she decided to cut her losses, got up and headed to the bathroom to make a start on the day.

After taking a shower and freshening up, she walked back into the bedroom and slipped on a fresh white tank top and a pair of loose grey sweats, and made her way to the kitchen to make herself a coffee. While she waited for the coffee to brew she glanced out of the window, taking in the sight a full moon, the city skyline and Yue bay backed with a very faint hue of pink on the horizon, signifying that sunrise wasn't too far off. 

After pouring herself a mug of coffee, she decided to make her way to the balcony to calm herself with the brisk morning air only to find someone already out there leaning over the balcony gazing ahead in quiet contemplation.

_Kya._

In the state the she awoke, she completely forgot that the Waterbender had been staying with her for the past few days, to take a much needed break from her travels before heading to Air Temple Island. 

"Hey.” She called out softly, not wanting to startle her friend who didn’t seem to hear her approach.

Pulled from her thoughts, Kya turned her head to greet Lin with a small smile. "Hey." 

"Mind if I join you?" Lin asks, nodding to the space next to Kya.

"Not at all." She replied, shuffling across a little to give the Earthbender some more room before returning her gaze to the skyline and Yue bay. 

"Can't sleep?"

Kya turns her head to regard Lin, gesturing to the full moon that was still present in the sky. "I never seem to when it's a full moon. How about you?"

"Wouldn't be out here if I could."

Kya let out a small chuckle in amusement at the Chief's joke. She was glad that she was one of the few privy to see the other sides of the Metalbender that wasn't usually on display in public, but seeing as they practically grew up together, she would have been more upset if Lin remained closed off to her after her relationship with her idiot brother ended.

_______________________________

When she first heard of their break-up, she practically dropped everything and caught the first boat back to Republic City from Whaletail Island. But by the time she had arrived, it was the week after and she was sitting on the floor with her back leaning against Lin's apartment door with her bags deposited next to her, waiting for her friend to come home.

The emotions that flashed across Lin's face when she first saw her were truly terrifying with the speed in which they changed; from surprised, to joy, to hurt before settling on anger. Yes, it took a while to convince Lin that irrespective of the fact that she was her ex’s sister, first and foremost she was still Lin's friend. She also had to convince Lin that she wasn't sent over by the Airbender, but was actually there because she cared about her, and frankly that it was a dick move by her brother and she had every right to be angry with him. 

Over time Kya made it a habit to stop by the younger woman’s place whenever she was in the city, and after a few more instances where she returned home at different hours of the day finding the Healer asleep on the floor in front of her door with her bags, she thought it would be best to give her a key to her place so as not to start any rumours of a would-be homeless person who frequents the Chief’s apartment. This allowed Kya to come and go as she pleased, and truthfully, Lin didn't mind the company. They didn't impose on each other and at times if their schedule aligned, they would share a meal together or unwind with a glass of sea prune wine at the end of the day.

_______________________________

"Would you like some coffee? I made enough for two."

"That would be lovely, thanks."

Setting down her mug on the small outdoor table, Lin retreated inside to fetch a mug for Kya, remembering to add half a teaspoon of sugar to make it just the way she liked it. After returning to the balcony, she tapped her friend on the shoulder and passed her the mug, then reached for hers before slipping back into comfortable silence as they both watched the sunrise over the bay.

"Yuan for your thoughts?" the Earthbender asked.

"Isn't that my line?" Kya replied with a raised eyebrow. 

"I just thought I'd ask. You're never usually this contemplative. Well not when you're around me anyway." 

With a sigh, Kya fixed her gaze at the small outline of Air Temple Island. After a moment she spoke with her eyes still trained on the island.

"How did it feel when you learnt of Zhaofu, and heard of what Su had achieved? You know, after all the shit she put you through?"

For all the interrogations that Lin has had to carry out throughout her career, she knows the tell tale signs of when a person is deflecting from the question at hand or when they’re trying to hide something. Sometimes it was beneficial to press harder on the subject, other times it worked better to offer a bit of information in exchange for what she wanted. Reading the mood, she opted to go with the second option.

"Maddening.” She answered with a small chuckle.

After a moment she continued on. “How, in the space of 30 years, Su managed to transition from a bratty little shit running with the Terra triad and giving me this," she gestured to the parallel scars marring the right side if her face, almost rendering her blind in one eye, "to being the matriarch of the elitist, innovative city of Zhaofu is beyond me. But I guess stranger things have happened.”

"Did she ever apologise?" 

"No, but she wants me to be part of her life again."

"And how do you feel about that?" 

“Honestly? If she ever apologises I’d probably forgive her, but I will never forget what she did.” She said pausing to take a sip of her coffee, “I suppose I would like to know how she is, however I still want to keep her at arms length.”

Kya hummed and nodded in understanding to Lin’s answer. Appreciating the information that Lin had volunteered, having never really broached the subject with her knowing that it was a sensitive topic. Once again, they slipped back into a comfortable silence while taking in the skyline.

After a few moments with Kya not volunteering anything further, Lin decided to press the Waterbender again.

“Alright, cut the shit Kya. What's really on your mind?" 

Breaking her gaze away from Air Temple Island, Kya stares down at the mug of coffee in her hands and sighs.

"It’s just… everything’s so different now." 

"What is?" 

“The world… Republic City… the people… I don’t know, all of it? I mean, who would have thought we’d have a spirit wild in the middle of a city, which is now run by a president instead of a council? That Jinora has more of a spiritual connection than Tenzin and can meditate in and out of the spirit world at her leisure. That there are new airbenders being discovered every day… that Bumi is one of those airbenders.” She said looking despondent at the last point.

Lin remained silent, allowing Kya to continue when she was ready to articulate what she wanted, no _needed_ , to say.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that the Air Nation is being rebuilt, and not just by my family, but I mean… we grew up as Bumi the Non-bender, Kya the Waterbender and Tenzin the Airbender. We’ve lived our whole lives and built our identities as those beings. It was always Bumi who I could relate to in never being the airbenders that we were supposed to be. We understood what it felt like to see those pitied stares when people would learn that we were the non-airbending children of Avatar Aang. We had each other. Then all of a sudden harmonic convergence happens, and lo and behold, now he’s an airbender!” She said while throwing her hands up in the air, spilling the remnants of her lukewarm coffee all over Lin and herself.

“Shit! Sorry, let me get that.” Kya said as she bent the spilt coffee back into her mug and setting it on the table.

“Sigh… I don’t know. I just feel so... so alone.”

After a brief pause Lin scooted closer to Kya and gave her arm a small nudge.

“Want to know what I think?”

“Shoot.”

“I think that what’s done is done. We can’t go back and we certainly can’t deny that it didn’t happen. Does it mean that airbending will completely change who Bumi is? No, he’s Bumi and he always will be. The only difference is that one aspect of him has changed, but he will always be your brother, he knows what it feels like to grow up with the same scrutiny as you did, and he will always have your back.

And so what if both your brothers are airbenders and they take after Uncle Aang? Big whoop. You are a waterbender and you take after Aunt Katara; a celebrated Master Waterbender and Healer, a war hero, a member of Team Avatar and one of the few people who could kick my Mother’s arse.” Lin recounted, as the last point elicited a giggle from Kya.

“You need to remember that while you are a waterbending master and a top notch healer, he is still very much a novice airbender. So technically you are better versed in your craft than he is, and if anything, from what I saw the other day he still has a long way to go before he can call himself a master. Not to mention you can still hold your own at your age.”

Letting out a small chuckle, she continued on, “I mean would you like to take airbending history lessons from Tenzin? Cause I sure as hell don’t, well not at this day and age anyway...”

Having never heard Lin speak so freely about her brothers or herself, all Kya could do was stare at Lin with admiration whilst letting herself bask in the warmth of the compliments she had received. After letting out a low slow breath, she felt the tension that she held around her shoulders dissipate and reached out to place her hand on top of Lin’s and gently squeezed it as a sign of showing her affection.

“Thank you.” Kya whispered.

“For what? It’s not like it isn’t true.”

“Just … thanks. I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear that.”

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think? Let me know in the comments below, still exploring writing styles!


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